Foot-guard.



No. 892,152. PATENTED JUNE 30, 1908.

W. A. HARMAN.

FOOT GUARD.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8.1907.

[NVi/VTOR A TTORNE Y5 WITNESSES:

.WILLIAM ADALBERT HARMAN, OF WHITE PASS, DISTRICT ALASKA.

FOOT-GUARD.

Specification of Letterslatent Patented June so, 1908 Application filed. June 8, 1997. Serial No. 378,040.

To all whom it ma concern: 1

Be it known that I, WILLIAM ADALBERT HARMAN, a citizen-of the United States, residing at White Pass, Yukon Territory, Alaska, have invented a new and useful Foot- Guard, of which the following is a specification. 1

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a guard or stirrup for protecting the shoe while using tamping shovels or the like in railway or other construction work. In railway construction work where the ballast is tamped by shovels, the shoe of the workmen is rapidly worn out immediately in advance of the heel by contact with the upper edge of the shovel blade, and in carrying out the present invention rovision is made for preventing wear of the s 0e and injurious pressure on the sole of the foot,by the employment of a metallic guard plate which will engage with the u per edge of the shovel blade and takeallt e wear.

A further object of the invention is to rovide a guard of im roved construction W 'ch is held from'latera lay by contact with the sides of the shoe heel and further to rovide an attaching device which will firm y hold the guard in position andlat the same time form a brace for the ankle. 7

With these and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafter a pear, the invention consists in certain nove features of construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafterfully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claim, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions, size and minor details of the structure may be made'yvithout departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the ad vanta es 0 the invention.

In t 'e accompanying draw1ngs:F1gure 1 is a perspective view of a foot guard constructed 1D. accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same.

'Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts throughout may be formed of heavy sheet metal shaped to conform to the in-step and provided with a downwardly'extending flange 11 at its rear edge, this flange fitting against the forward face of the shoe heel. At the opposite ends of the flange" are rearwardly bent ears 12 which engage against the sides of the shoe heel in order to prevent lateral displacement of the guard. The opposite edges of the plate are rovided with forwardly bent cars 15 to whic are pivoted or otherwise secured the ends of straps 16 there being two strap sections secured to each of the ears, one strap section passin from the ear at one side of the plate across t e in-step, around the ankle, and-the back of the foot, and being buckled to a strap section'secured to the same car. The remaining straps are connected in similar manner, so that the straps will to a'certain extent form a brace for the ankle, and will firmly hold the guard from displacement.

The lower face of the plate may be provided with teeth or serrations forming a roughened surface to prevent sli ping of the guard on the shovel, although tliis in all cases will not be necessary.

It will be noted that the device is formed of a single sheet of metal which may be shaped by suitable dies, and the edges of the cars which pass up against the sides of the shoes are slightly turned or rounded in order to :prevent chafing or cutting of the leather.

claim An article of manufacture comprising a guard plate for a shoe shank and meansfor attaching and holding the same in place on a shoe, said means comprising a rearwardly extending integral finger on each side adapted to lie against the heel of the shoe and prevent lateral movement of the guard plate, and a pair of straps fastened on each side of said uard plate the rearmost strap on each sir e arranged to pass to the back of the shoe and each foremost strap to pass over the instep to the o osite side of the shot and then backwan y to be fastened to the rearmost strap on the side of its origin.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.-

WILLIAM ADALBERT IIARMAN.

Witnesses:

GEORGE NooT, JNo. J. DOYLE. 

